An Eventful Night at Hogwarts
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Minerva is sick and unable to sleep during the night, so she decides to roam the halls of Hogwarts instead, not aware that it is going to become an eventful night with unexpected couples and students' protests. Set in Harry's sixth year, completely AU


**An Eventful Night at Hogwarts****  
by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.  
-_

_Another product of a sleepless night - a really stupid drabble..._

* * *

Minerva McGonagall sighed in exasperation, breathing heavily as she searched her pillow for a cool spot in order to have a slight chance of finding some more sleep that night.

'_Why do I always have to wake up in the middle of the night when I'm not feeling well?_' she thought in annoyance as she tried in vain to go back to sleep. '_Maybe it'll be easier to breathe when I get up_,' she finally decided and slipped out of her bed, carefully throwing her burgundy night robes over. '_I'll go for a walk through the castle_,' she resolved, recalling that Severus always told her how much happened in the corridors during the nights.

Minerva was just about to transform into her feline form, when a small voice at the back of her mind reminded her, '_Poppy told you not to transform when you're running a fever, which you probably are_.' She groaned in annoyance but had to admit that barely anything was worse than having her best friend fuss over her. So she decided to go for a walk in her human form.

"Professor McGonagall," the portrait of Godric Gryffindor that was guarding her entrance door spoke up, "it is two o'clock in the morning, and the common room is completely quiet. Everyone seems to be asleep."

"Tabby paws," Minerva uttered the password, completely ignoring the annoying busybody in the portrait. She slowly stepped out into the halls that seemed extremely dark and cold in this early December night. It was shortly after passing in front of the Gryffindor common room that she stopped dead in her tracks. The moonlight falling in through the large window on the left hand side lit up a small alcove not far away, and she could see Hermione Granger and... '_Who might that be? Mr. Weasley?_' she wondered but dismissed the thought when Hermione began to speak in a quiet voice.

"I love you too, Draco, and I think you're right. The teachers really should do something about it. Let's wake the others and have a demo here in the halls. I'm sure Snape or someone will come and fetch the others professors to watch."

"All right Hermione, but let me do something else first," Draco Malfoy replied and quickly pulled the girl into an apparently passionate kiss.

'_Hermione and Malfoy?_' Minerva thought with a mixture of disbelief and shock. '_I thought she was together with Mr. Weasley, although I'd deem Mr. Potter the better boyfriend for her_.' Several minutes later, the two students were still kissing, and Minerva began to wonder if she should put an end to the nightly date. '_Somehow, I'm not my usual self_,' she thought, '_probably because I'm sick. Otherwise I'd have sent them back to bed right away_.' However, she could not muster the energy to talk with the two sixth years. Realising that she could barely hold herself upright anymore, she transformed into her feline form, feeling too miserable to care what would happen. She lay down next to the wall and drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

When she woke up to loud voices, having no idea of how much time had passed in the meantime, the corridor was not dark anymore. It was very light due to bright lanterns, which at least two dozen students were carrying, shouting something that sounded like, "We demand more classes and more homework in all subjects!"

'_More homework? When am I supposed to grade that?_' Minerva mused in confusion as she tried to find out who was participating in the march that slowly proceeded towards the large staircase. '_Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy of course, Ms. Lovegood, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Potter... Mr. Weasley?_' She could not believe her eyes. '_Ms. Granger must have put him under the Imperius curse to make him ask for more homework_,' she thought as she followed the group downstairs.

Unfortunately, when she reached the entrance hall, realising that the students were already half-way upstairs again in the direction of the Headmaster's office, she felt the hall began to tilt dangerously. '_I really don't feel good. Maybe I better return to my quarters and leave the students to Albus. It's already getting light anyway_,' she thought and slowly turned around, facing the huge staircase that seemed even higher than usually. Deciding to rest for a few minutes, she lay down on the floor, sighing in relief when her achy head came to lie on the cold stone floor.

However, all of a sudden, she felt herself being scooped up by strong arms. '_Albus_,' she realised, gratefully nestling into the wizard's robes.

=Albus, did you see the students? They're having a protest march, demanding more classes and more homework,= she croaked, not even considering that the Headmaster was not able to understand cat language. =Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy arranged this, but I'm not sure if we should take or award House points for this.=

"Don't worry, Minerva; everything is all right. Let me take you back to bed."

Gratefully believing the soothing voice, Minerva lay back into the strong arms and drifted off to sleep again. By the time she woke up, feeling considerably better, she was not in her feline form anymore, and bright sunshine was flooding the hospital wing. '_The hospital wing?_' Minerva realised in shock. '_But Albus said he'd take me back to my quarters_.'

"Hello Minnie," Poppy's voice penetrated her ears. "You just can't listen, can you? What did I tell you about not transforming..."

"Yes, I know," Minerva impatiently interrupted her. "Did Albus understand what I told him last night about the students' protests?"

Poppy chuckled. "Albus?" she queried, raising an eyebrow at her best friend. "Albus was taken ill last night, and in contrary to you, he was more reasonable and stayed in bed during the night. It was Severus, who brought you here, and there was no students' protest. Severus checked the dormitories of the students you mentioned to him, and everyone was lying in their beds fast asleep."

"But that's not possible," Minerva protested weakly. "I am sure that I saw Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy..."

"Minerva, you were delirious," Poppy replied sternly. "Severus confirmed that no one could have left the Slytherin common room; otherwise an alarm would have alerted him."

"I was sure that Albus picked me up," Minerva croaked, feeling very stubborn, especially when Poppy began to laugh.

"He wouldn't have even understood you," she said softly. "Severus could understand you, because he is a lynx Animagus."

"Severus?" Minerva thought, terrified, remembering how comfortable she had felt in his arms. "I really must have been delirious."

**The End**


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